Introduction to Multisim
ECE 1020
Professor Ahmadi
What is Multisim?
• A virtual circuit simulator for both analog and
digital design
• Allows you to test circuits without having to
physically build them
Starting the Program
• Start Menu  All Programs  National
Instruments  Circuit Design Suite 
Multisim
Program Interface
You start off with an empty workspace.
Placing Components
Placing Components onto the
Workspace
•
•
Filter the components you want to see by using the Group dropdown, selecting a Family, and
searching for the Component name
Select your component, click OK, and click on the workspace to place it
Component
list
Libraries
Let’s Build This Circuit
Finding the Voltage Source and
Ground
Finding the Resistor
Type 1k into the
search box to
find the 1kOhm
resistor
Placing Wires
• A circuit is not
complete if the
components are
not connected
• Click Place  Wire
• Click on the
workspace to
designate the start
point and click
again to place the
stop point
Taking Measurements
• We need to tell the software where we want
to measure and what to measure with
• Let’s use the multimeter to measure the
voltage across the resistor and the current
through it
Measuring with the Multimeter
• On the right hand side,
click the Multimeter (1st
icon)
• Place onto the workspace
Measuring the voltage across R1
Use wires the connect the positive and negative terminals of the multimeter to the circuit.
Simulating
• To simulate the circuit, go to Simulate  Run,
Hit F5, or click the Play button
start
pause
stop
Reading the Voltage
• Double-click the multimeter icon on your workspace and click the V
button
• It says 12V which is what we expect
Reading the Current
•
•
•
•
•
To measure the current at a location within a circuit, we must place the measuring
device in series with the circuit at that location
Close the multimeter window and Stop the simulation
Connect the multimeter as shown and Start the simulation
Double-click the multimeter and click the A button
It says 12mA which is what we expect (12V/1kOhm=12mA)
Diodes and AC Circuits
• Diodes are essentially electrical switches
• The switch is CLOSED when the voltage across
the diode exceeds some threshold (~0.6V)
• Otherwise, it is OPEN (OFF)
Let’s Build This Circuit (2)
Finding the Diode
Finding the AC Source
Changing the AC Source Values
Double-click the AC source and change the fields to match the ones below.
2.12 Vrms is 3Vpeak
Measuring the Voltage Across R1
• Because we are using an AC source, we need to use an
oscilloscope to the see the AC voltage
• From the right-hand column, select the Oscilloscope
(4th icon down) and place it onto the workspace
Connect as follows…
• Change the color of the wire in
Terminal A by right-clicking it and
selecting Color Segment
• This configuration will measure the
input voltage (Terminal A) and the
voltage after the diode and across R1
(Terminal B)
• The negative terminals are left open
because the ground reference is the
same for both measurements
• However, if they were not the same,
they must be connected appropriately
Simulation
• Start the simulation
and double-click the
oscilloscope
• Hit Single on the
bottom right
• Drag the triangle
markers across the
traces to read their
values
Analysis
• The peak voltage for Channel A is 3V which is
expected
• The peak voltage for Channel B is 3V0.6V=2.4V which is correct
• But the red trace has no negative portion!!!
• This is because the diode is ON only when the
voltage across it is 0.6V, therefore, no current
will pass through when the AC source dips
below 0.6V
Oscilloscopes
• Try measuring the circuit with the other
oscilloscope components (e.g. Agilent
Oscilloscope or Tektronix Oscilloscope)
• They look like the actual scopes seen on your
lab benches
• Play around with the knobs to get familiar
with their functions